Alumni College Panel

Each year at our Alumni College Panel, recent graduates share what they consider to be the most crucial tools for success in college. Their words brilliantly capture the essence of our progressive high school program. College is challenging, as it should be, yet our alumni say they arrived to their new campus homes more than ready for what awaited them.

At LREI, there is room for self-direction and exploring things you couldn't pursue elsewhere. In high school, I did many honors projects where I would meet with teachers individually or in small groups, and basically jump in and learn about any topic I was interested in. That was one of the most valuable opportunities I had at LREI. Kai Furbeck '10, Brown University '14

Classrooms at LREI are conducive to having really thoughtful discussions—not only about what we’re reading, but current events and what’s going on in our city. I took the comfort I felt in those discussions to college. Now, I might be one of the only people talking in the classroom. I feel completely comfortable and professors notice that.

Deion Desir '12, Bowdoin College '16

What other experiences enable our students to be successful in college? For some, it was LREI's unique partnership with New York University that allowed them to experience the rigors of college coursework during Eleventh and Twelfth Grade. For others, it was the rich and varied extracurricular opportunities or the diverse roster of guest speakers and trips that sparked new passions.

When I think about how I've flourished into this person who is passionate about sociology and social justice initiatives, I think a lot of that came from my time at LREI. We had all of these amazing speakers during our assemblies, and exciting events and trips when we had to apply our critical, analytical skills. I think that I have grown academically and personally and socially in a number of ways in college, but I still always think back to the skills and values I learned at LREI.Kamillah Aklaff '07, Tufts University '11

At LREI I learned how to speak my mind. When I first came to LREI, I wasn’t used to calling my teachers by their first names, but after being at LREI, I am so comfortable with approaching college teachers—even in big lecture classes—and asking for help. Monet Thibou '13, Sarah Lawrence College '17